Panel mountable electrical connectors are well known for connecting a wiring harness, or the like, to another electrical device, such as a second electrical connector, in a panel such as a housing or chassis. The second connector may be terminated to another wiring harness, a cable, a circuit board or a second panel. Panel mounted electrical connectors usually include a housing having terminals mounted therein, the housing typically being of nonconductive material which may be partly or entirely molded from plastic. The housing includes a mating end with structure that permits mating and unmating with the second electrical connector.
Heretofore, panel mountable electrical connectors often have been mounted directly to the panel. The mating end of the connector is inserted through an aperture in the panel. Means are provided on the connector housing for achieving secure mounting to the panel. For example, the connector housing may include a flange which exceeds the cross-sectional dimensions of the mounting aperture in the panel. A portion of the connector housing will extend through the mounting aperture and will be engageable with separate retaining means, such as a nut or a clamp engageable against the opposite side of the panel. A portion of the panel therefore will be locked between the flange, the connector housing, and the separate retaining means. In other such panel mountable connectors, integral latch arms or mounting posts on both ends of a connector housing engage the panel, thereby avoiding the need to employ separate panel engaging means with the electrical connector housing. However, this type of structure may not be adequate for an elongated panel mount for several reasons. First, if a short-fill or breakage occurs any where on either latch, the mounting system fails altogether, because both latches are required to fix the retainer on the panel. Second, support on only two sides of an elongated panel mount may not provide adequate rigidity or retention force between the panel mount and the panel, and the panel mount may become dislodged from the panel. Finally, standard latching arms or posts may not fit where there is limited space available because such structures typically require sufficient length for flexibility and deflection. Furthermore, additional apertures may be required in the panel for accommodating such latches or posts.
Another problem with electrical connectors directly mountable to a panel is that many electrical connectors are employed in blind mating environments where precise alignment of the connectors during mating cannot always be ascertained. For example, a panel mountable electrical connector may be disposed at a relative inaccessible location in an automotive vehicle, such as for a radio, in a photostatic copier or in a computer. A failed attempt to align the connector can result in substantial damage to the connector and/or to the fragile electrically conductive terminals mounted therein or to the terminated wiring harness itself. Furthermore, the forces encountered by a technician during an attempt to panel mount an improperly aligned connector can be interpreted by the technician as an indication of complete mounting.
A related problem with panel mountable electrical connectors is that often the insertion force is compromised in order to maximize the retention force and vice versa. That is, in order to make the panel-engaging wings rigid enough to remain firmly in the panel at all times, the insertion force of the connector or retainer will be higher than desirable. Conversely, if the connector latches are made too flexible in order to achieve lower insertion forces, the retention force of the connector within the panel may be less than ideal. It is preferable, therefore, to minimize the insertion force and maximize the retention force of a panel mountable connector within a panel.
In some applications separate panel mounting devices known as clips or retainers have been used. Such a retainer typically includes a housing that can be attached to a panel, for example by snapping or sliding into a locked position in an aperture in the panel. The separate housing is adapted to receive an electrical connector, such as a connector terminated to an end of a wiring harness, either before or after being assembled to the panel.
Heretofore, retainers for panel mountable connectors have been relatively rigid structures which are snapped into place in a panel aperture by using means similar to those used in panel mount connectors, such as stop projections or bosses in combination with snap latch flanges provided on opposite side walls of the relatively rigid retainer. Such retainers, although allowing replaceability of the connectors themselves, have the same disadvantages outlined above in mounting a connector directly to a panel, particularly in blind mating environments. In such environments, it is desirable to not only provide a low insertion force/high retention force retainer, but also to design the retainers such that there is "float" within the panel to allow for alignment of a complementary connector upon mating to the retainer/connector assembly. This requires flexibility and tolerance accommodation in the retainer structure. These desirable attributes are particularly advantageous with significantly elongated connectors where a number of mating pins must be accurately aligned.
This invention is directed to solving various problems encountered with panel mountable electrical connectors, some of which have been outlined above, by providing a panel mountable retainer of an improved structure and which is particularly applicable for mounting an elongated connector in a panel.